Eating DC: Call Your Mother Deli

Call Your Mother Deli, if you live in (and around) DC and haven’t heard of them, have you been living under a rock? Opened by the same team that owns Timber Pizza Co., Call Your Mother Deli is a Jew-ish style deli. Think all your favorites, with a twist!

I first found out about Call Your Mother Deli while going to the Dupont Circle Farmers Market and seeing their stand, and then finding out that their bagels had been sold out since 8 AM!! Prior to going to their store location up in Petworth, I had only had their bagels twice before, once when I lucked out and scored some bagels at the farmers market (thank you, rainy farmers market day) and another time when my friend scored some.

Finally, last weekend, my friend convinced me to make the journey to their store front and face the line outside (which is still going strong, months after opening). At first I was a little mad there was still a line, butttttt it was worth it and the line moved pretty quickly.

On the inside, it is set up like a modern deli (order at the counter, open kitchen, various types of seat) with a very pink and turquoise hipster twist. They offer only a few kinds of bagels (plain, everything, za’atar, sesame) and a plethora of sandwich combos, ranging from your classic lox, capers and onions and bacon, egg and cheeses to the more unique, Pizza Bagels and Jew-ish Tacos. There are challah sandwiches, sides and a variety of drinks (Yoo-hoo chocolate milk, anyone?!)

We ordered: the Shyne bagel (everything bagel, bacon, egg and cheese), the Rihanna Flex bagel (everything bagel, lox, shmear, cucumbers, capers, onions) and of course, a side of latkes.

Everything was delicious- if I were to go back I would stick with the lox bagel. I DID like the Shyne bagel, but I found the cheese they used (maybe Gruyere?) a little too heavy. The latkes were perfect (and I grew up with the best latkes) and they came with some super delicious homemade apple sauce.

Overall, Call Your Mother is 200% worth the line, wait or whatever else is preventing you from going. Sorry Bethesda Bagels, there is a new bagel boss in town.